This is the 2nd in my series of blogs of movies that should have been nominated for an Oscar.
Today’s pick falls into the category of being foreign. The film is Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 film, “Ikiru”.
“Ikiru” in Japanese means “to live” and the title is apt for the subject it examines. It follows the story of Kanji Watanabe, a middle-aged man who has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for thirty years, essentially doing nothing and contributing little to society (as can be said about most bureaucrats). Ironically, it’s only after learning that he has stomach cancer with less than a year to live that he finally comes to life and attempts to find meaning in what time he has left.
Takashi Shimura gives a heart-wrenching performance as the downtrodden Watanabe. He embodies the ennui and brokenness of life he feels, not just with his facial expressions, but his entire physicality.
This story is purportedly one of Steven Spielberg’s favorites and is one of those movies that can potentially change the way you think. Time Magazine wrote of the film, “The great strength of the picture is the total seriousness and importance of what Kurosawa has to say: to live is to love; the rest is cancer.”
Kurosawa has not gone unrecognized by the Academy. “Rashomon” and “Yojimbo” each received 1 nomination, “Seven Samurai” received 2 nominations and “Ran” received 4 nominations, winning 1. In fact, Kurosawa received a lifetime achievement award in1989. Perhaps “Ikiru” was ignored because it was one of the quieter Kurosawa films without sweeping vistas or sword-wielding samurais. But in my opinion, it is his most powerful and most compassionate. It is regrettable that he was never recognized for what was arguably his best film.
So this is what I think the picture should have been up for:
Best Foreign Language Film
Best Director – Akira Kurosawa
Best Actor – Takashi Shimura
Best Original Screenplay – Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni
Love Ikiru too. Though my take away from it wasn’t that it was necessarily “to live is to love” per the Time magazine quote, but rather that the folly of man is that he has no concept of what it is “to live” until he is faced with death. What’s also great about Ikiru is that it isn’t an ‘inspirational’ film in the pandering Western sense. It strives for greater complexity and is layered with a deep sense of irony and social criticism as well – that scene with the wake struck me as one of the most incisive reflections of hypocrisy.
Fine choice. After I first saw this at MOMA in NY, I called my folks in L.A. to tell them I loved them. The final image of Shimura on the swing while it’s snowing is one of the most iconic in cinema. Now let’s see if Tom Hanks can get his remake off the ground and if it’ll be any good.
i have not seen Ikiru. Now I will. Thanks for the rec!
Aww Philip, that’s sweet!
Elaine, I agree that “to live is to love” may be a little too pat. I wanted to add the word “humanity” but that may also be too pat.
Roger & anyone who hasn’t seen the movie, you should definitey check it ou!
That one shot where she runs between the buses after he buys her new stockings I think is one of the most amazing beautiful shots in all of film.
I saw this film years ago at a UCLA film series; it was a life-changer for sure.
[...] month about the films they think should have been nominated for Oscars (see examples here, here and here). Of course there were also many deserving individuals who never won the gold statuette and I think [...]